Reaching Out With Hope
by E Zhi
Summary: After the mission at the Land of Waves, the Kyuubi finally talks to Naruto. A new friendship is born and it changes EVERYTHING. Strictly Naru/Ino. If you read it, you must review it xD Please. (This story may not follow the original Naruto story. It's a fanfic, after all.) One does not simply demand updates and expect them to show up. Have patience. It's a virtue, after all.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Totally starting out. Hoping for some great reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Talking With The Tenant Part 1**

* * *

There was only one way to describe what just happened: "Eye-Opening".

Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's Ninja Academy "Dead-Last" Graduate and "Self-Proclaimed" Future Hokage of The Hidden Leaf, was never the type for deep insight. If anything, he was the ideal choice for impulsive knucklehead. He possesses poor chakra control, brawler-style taijutsu, no genjutsu, a very small array of ninjutsu, and lacks the general knowledge of most things that ninja are expected to know. He is the released form of everyone else's inner child that they prefer to hide to show their "maturity". As a result, he makes situations sort of... awkward.

However, despite these shortcomings, Naruto has quite the good points as both a person and a ninja.

As a person, he has unwavering determination and upstanding morals. He would never betray a friend or act out of any evil intentions. He may act a bit obnoxious, but it's only to gain attention which he so desperately craves from his peers. Deep down, he is quite the insecure person who just wants friends who'll acknowledge him...

Even if it means being hated, or laughed at as the class clown.

For instance, he continuously professes his love for a fellow classmate, Haruno Sakura, but is hilariously rejected. He doesn't even have any genuine feelings for her. At best, he thinks she's cute and wants to protect her. Like a fragile flower in a typhoon. He's probably mistaking that feeling for love. No surprise considering Naruto hasn't felt much love throughout his own life.

Given his traumatic past of being ignored or rejected, and his cruel fate, he still holds himself up high with pride and confidence. And because he has experienced a great deal of pain from a very young age, Naruto knows the true significance of kindness and always offers it to anyone.

Unconditionally.

Even to his own enemies...

As a ninja, he possesses Kage-level chakra reserves and great stamina. He has also mastered the high-level ninjutsu: Kage Bushin as well as its large-scale version: Tajuu Kage Bushin. Naruto is also an excellent asset in group battles due to his ability to boost team morale and unpredictably turn the tables against an enemy using his on-the-fly prankster-like style.

Yes. Overall, Naruto is quite the interesting individual. Especially for a twelve-year-old orphan. An enigma of sorts. Quite the entertainer as a host, perhaps that's another reason to like him.

However...

He's a human.

And humans are all the same in the end... They eventually become corrupted and cruel... Uzumaki Naruto is no different...

At least, that's how it should've been...

But this one mission had changed everything. After all, it can only be described as "Eye-Opening".

Residing deep within Naruto's subconscious and watching him from the day he was born is the Lord of The Bijuus (King of the Tailed Beasts): The Kyuubi no Kitsune (The Nine-Tailed Fox). A demon fox beast possessing powerful chakra and nearly infinite power. This being has hated humans throughout history for always sealing it away and trying to control its power. As a result, it takes joy in massacring the human race.

The attack on Konoha was no different... except for one minor detail: The Kyuubi never intended to attack the village at first. All it wanted was to break out of the seal it was imprisoned in. It's true that the Kyuubi may have wanted to attack the village, and it did, but it didn't instigate the attack. In fact, it was controlled into attacking the village until it had finally regained control over itself. That's when it attempted to raze the village to the ground for constantly sealing it away over the years.

And that's how it ended up being sealed away once more by Konoha's beloved Yondaime... into a baby... Uzumaki Naruto.

All the Kyuubi could do at that point was claw away at the giant gate standing before it hoping to break the seal, but even the Kyuubi knew when to give up. So, it could only watch its new host as he grew day by day. The Kyuubi had seen the horrors of those fated to become Jinchuriki (Human Sacrifices) countless times. Even so, the Kyuubi never felt a shred of sympathy for them. Because it knew what came next...

The abused hosts would begin to feel hate, which would unintentionally draw out the fox's power, and allow the Kyuubi to strengthen the link with its hosts and forcefully break out of the seal. Naruto was supposed to be no different.

Well, he was SUPPOSED to be...

Instead, the boy endured the painful beatings, glares, and rejections without any feelings of hatred. If anything, the boy was the embodiment of love and forgiveness.

And that's how the fox knew... It was completely fucked.

Because now, it couldn't break out.

Instead, its only option to ensure its own survival was to heal the boy whenever he was hurt. After all, if the Jinchuriki dies, the Bijuu dies too.

And so, the fox has continued to watch and heal Naruto throughout his life. It could read Naruto's mind, understand his psyche, and sense his deepest desires. Interestingly enough, the boy possessed no hatred or evil within him. This meant that the Kyuubi's chances of breaking out of the seal the old-fashion way were zero.

Overall, the brat was... tolerable in comparison to other humans. The Kyuubi actually found Naruto to be a refreshing change of pace and quite fascinating. Deep down, it wanted to interact with the boy as well. It would never admit that out loud, though.

But it couldn't. Naruto had to be the one to make contact with the fox through the seal first. That's how it always worked.

And so, for twelve long years, it waited patiently. Until THAT mission changed everything.

Naruto's first C-ranked mission: Protecting a bridge builder at The Land of Waves.

It turns out that the client, Tazuna, had lied about the rating of the mission, but Naruto's team leader, Hatake Kakashi, decided to follow through with it anyway.

In the end, Naruto was put in extreme danger and was under the impression that one of his comrades, Uchiha Sasuke, had been killed because of Naruto's own powerlessness. As a result, Naruto developed hatred for the first time within himself. And so, the connection to the fox through the seal was established.

The fox didn't mind giving Naruto its power. In fact, the fox willingly pumped Naruto full of it. But surprisingly, it wasn't to break out of the seal. The Kyuubi actually felt sorry for the boy. The first truly kind human it had ever laid eyes on experienced such a heavy loss alongside his already horrible past. And so, the great Kyuubi put aside its pride and offered Naruto its strength.

As a result, the opponent was subdued. But the Kyuubi realized that Naruto was ultimately no different than the other humans around him. If the boy could feel hatred, then he could succumb to corruption and go crazy with power. It really was a shame, too.

Or so the Kyuubi thought...

Until Naruto started resisting the Kyuubi's power and forcing his hatred back. Finally, Naruto successfully stopped himself from killing his opponent, the masked hunter-nin Haku. A little later, Naruto actually started to cry for Haku when he had been killed. He also delivered a heartwarming speech to another opponent, Momochi Zabuza, about ninjas being more than expendable tools. They were humans. And so, they also had hearts. There was more to being a ninja than just strength and bloodlines. Even the Kyuubi got a bit teary-eyed at Naruto's words.

In the end, the Kyuubi made a decision: It would initiate contact and ally itself with this human. With Uzumaki Naruto.

If it was with any other random human, the fox would've definitely flipped its shit in a rage. But if it was Naruto... maybe...

The Kyuubi decided that it would finally speak to Naruto as he traveled with his team back to Konoha after completing their mission. It could finally speak to the boy now because the boy had tapped into the fox's power through the seal.

**_'Here it goes... Wait a second! What do I even say?!'_** The Kyuubi thought nervously.

It was no surprise that the Kyuubi felt nervous. After all, it had never spoken with a human before. And what's even worse was... the thought of Naruto rejecting it. Then, all the faith in humanity that the fox had ever possibly restored thanks to Naruto would be lost.

But... this was a risk that the Kyuubi had to take. Finally, it made up its mind and willingly spoke out loud for the first time.

**"Hello."** It said calmly, while trying to hide any malice from its voice.

Naruto, who had been marching triumphantly on the bridge behind the rest of his team suddenly stopped.

He immediately turned around, but saw no one. He looked left, then right, then above him, and then he looked off of the rail of the bridge he was walking on. There was no one below him.

Finally, he spoke:

"I must have just imagined it, but I think someone just greeted me..." Naruto said out loud to himself.

**"I assure you that this isn't your imagination. You may be a knucklehead, but you're not psychopathic. At least, I hope not..."**

"OH M-"

**"Shut up, Naruto. I'm trying to be nice here. If you want to say something then say it in your head! Don't ramble it out loud or else your team will hear you!"**

Naruto froze for a good ten seconds. Then, he spoke though his mind.

_'K-Kyuubi...'_

**"It's been a long time coming, my jailer."**

Naruto started walking again. He quickened his stride out of nervousness and the need to catch up with his team who were far ahead of him.

_'How are you doing this? And what do you want from me?'_

**"You used my power when you fought that masked ninja, remember? That red power surging through your body and setting your insides on fire. By the way, you're welcome. Without it, you would've died. Anyway, doing that has loosened the seal so now we can talk. About damn time if you ask me."**

_'And what do you want from me? To break the seal and set you free so that you can attack the village again!? You probably think that I'm an idiot, don't you?! Well, guess what! My parents died in that attack and my life has been hell without them. So I'll never help you, you rotten fox!'_

**"... You have every reason to hate me, Naruto."**

_'You don't kn- WAIT! W-What?'_

**"You're right. It may have not been my intention at first, but I did attack your village. Your parents did die because of me. Your life has been hell without them and because I'm sealed within you. That's why I wanted to talk to you."**

Naruto was completely shocked as he stopped walking once again.

**"I want to say that I'm sorry for ruining your life. But to be fair, humans have not been the kindest to me throughout history either. Surely, you can relate to that. After all, you're one of their own and they heartlessly rejected you. Hell, many of them continue to reject you even now. And you finally became a ninja, too..."**

_'H-How do yo-'_

**"I've been inside you for a long time... since the day you were born. Listen, I understand that you have a lot of questions right now. But why don't we wait until we're back at your apartment to answer them, alright?"**

_'Hey! You can't just start a conversation and just suddenly leave! Besides, where do you think you can go? You're stuck inside of me.'_

**"You bumbling fool! You stopped walking and now your teammates are staring at you and have been calling out your name for the past three minutes. Meanwhile, your expression resembles that of a person who has seen a ghost."**

Naruto immediately stopped staring off into space and saw Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke staring at him with raised eyebrows and arms crossed.

"What're you doing over there, Naruto!? C'mon already!" Sakura shouted.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

"You can't possibly be tired already, Naruto. We haven't even reached the other side of the bridge yet." Kakashi said passively.

Naruto immediately started running towards them as the Kyuubi's words echoed through his head.

The legendary monster fox demon: The Kyuubi... It had spoken to Naruto. It was trying to be nice to him. It had accepted Naruto's logical resentment. Finally, it had apologized to him.

_'Maybe I'm missing something here, but the Kyuubi doesn't seem so bad to me...'_ Naruto thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, so many reviews after just one chapter. I really hope this is up to your expectations. Here we go xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Talking With The Tenant Part 2**

* * *

The two days it took to travel back to Konoha were nothing short of mental torture for Naruto. He had to focus on watching his step, fighting off any bandits or missing nins, or just keeping watch as his teammates slept. Normally, this would've been no problem for Naruto. He would easily avoid tripping on any rocks or branches, overwhelm enemies with endless hordes of shadow clones, and stay alert like an owl while on watch.

Unfortunately...

All he could think about was getting back home to Konoha, dashing to the apartment, and asking the Kyuubi about so many things.

The constant irritation of waiting for answers as Team 7 slowly made their way home was UNBEARABLE.

He had a incredibly long list of questions that continued to grow with every passing moment. As a result, he had unintentionally shut himself out from his teammates. The number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja had gone completely silent, and the expressions on his face were very... Not Naruto-like. He didn't smile at all. There were times when he had a look of deep sorrow on his face, and there were other times when he scowled in irritation. To make things even more peculiar, Naruto had taken off his beloved headband to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. Now, Naruto's long and spiky blonde hair fell over his eyes, so it was becoming harder to tell what expression he had on his face.

Nobody had done anything to him, which made Team 7 all the more confused. Because when Naruto had left the Land of Waves, he was marching home happily and rambling on about how he would become Hokage.

Clearly, something was wrong and someone had to do something. Because even Sasuke was freaking out a little bit.

He had constantly expressed his dislike for the loser, but seeing Naruto like this was just... Wrong. It felt so unsettling.

And so, while treading through a path in the forest, Kakashi decided to take action.

Team 7 had been walking in their standard formation: Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura walking at the front as Kakashi followed from the center rear.

Gently, Kakashi tapped Sasuke and Sakura on their shoulders and motioned for them to fall back with him as Naruto continued to walk forward.

Naruto, whose mind was completely focused on the Kyuubi issue, didn't notice his teammates falling back.

When Sakura and Sasuke finally walked alongside Kakashi without Naruto noticing, Kakashi started the conversation:

"Don't pretend like nothing is wrong, because I know the both of you have noticed it too. Clearly, Naruto is not being himself. He is being way too quiet and he looks like he is in serious pain. What's going on?" Kakashi asked with a serious tone.

Both Sakura and Sasuke shrugged.

"Did either of you do anything to Naruto? ...Sasuke!" Kakashi continued while giving Sasuke the stink-eye.

Surprised by Kakashi's serious accusation of him, Sasuke stopped acting aloof and quickly got serious.

"I didn't do anything to him. I planned on asking Sakura about the way he is acting when we got back to the village." Sasuke said immediately.

Kakashi watched Sasuke carefully to make sure he wasn't lying. After all, it's not everyday Uchiha Sasuke got worried about someone. Especially Uzumaki Naruto. After making sure Sasuke was being honest, Kakashi looked over to Sakura.

"Sakura. Naruto asked you out on a date as we were leaving, remember? You may have hurt his feelings this time when you rejected him." Kakashi said firmly while looking Sakura in the eyes. Sasuke also glanced over at Sakura.

"Wh-What?! No way! I reject him all the time, but I never say anything too bad. I didn't do anything different from the usual. Besides, Naruto is the kind of person that gets right back up again when he goes down. When he started acting like this, I tried talking to him about it but he looked like he just wanted to be left alone. I was actually going to ask you about his behavior, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura stated earnestly.

After hearing Sakura's explanation, Kakashi started to recall any events that might have led up to Naruto's sudden change. Then, it hit him. Like a bolt of lightning.

"...That face he made when he was behind us back at the bridge. He looked horrified for some reason. Since then, he's been completely silent." Kakashi stated.

Both Sakura and Sasuke thought about Kakashi's statement for a moment and nodded.

"So what should we do? Do you think maybe he saw something at the bridge that scared him?" Sakura asked as she looked back at Kakashi.

"Hmm, I didn't notice anything extremely threatening back then. Besides, it's not easy to scare someone like Naruto now that he has fought strong enemies like Zabuza and Haku. But, something definitely happened on that bridge..." Kakashi replied as he watched both of his students' expressions change to worry.

"Ma, Ma, I guess we'll just have to get back to the village and see how things turn out. I'm sure he'll be right back to his normal self with a bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's." Kakashi continued as both of his students' expressions changed to slight relief.

"Y-Yeah! That has to be it. I'll bet Naruto just misses his ramen. He's always going crazy without his ramen. This probably some kind of weird withdrawal." Sakura said happily at Kakashi's explanation while Sasuke nodded.

"If that's the case, then the both of you should invite Naruto out to some bowls of ramen. On me." Kakashi suggested.

Both Sakura and Sasuke immediately acknowledged and the conversation came to an end.

* * *

As they finally entered the village gates, Kakashi finally spoke out to all three of his students.

"Alright team, this mission was definitely not what we were expecting. However, we all pulled through and did an excellent job. You're all growing up so fast, and I'm proud of you. You're dismissed to do whatever you like for the day, while I report to Hokage-sama." Kakashi said before winking at Sakura and Sasuke, then he disappeared in a swirl of wind and leaves.

Sasuke and Sakura immediately glanced over at each other and nodded. Finally, Sakura walked over to Naruto who was still really quiet and staring at the ground.

"Hey Naruto! Let's all go get some ramen together to celebrate the success of our mission. We can put it all on Kakashi-sensei's tab, too. So you can get anything you want!" Sakura said happily while putting her hand on Naruto's shoulder.

After a brief moment of silence, Naruto looked into Sakura's eyes with a sad expression on his face then widened his eyes slightly as he realized that he was back in the village. As the realization that his mental torture of waiting had finally ended sunk in, the life slowly returned to Naruto's eyes as he quietly spoke after two long days.

"I... need to go home." Naruto said as he turned away from Sakura and started walking off.

To put it simply, Sakura and Sasuke were flabbergasted at Naruto's actions.

_'D-Did Naruto just... reject ramen?!'_ Both teammates thought.

Sasuke could see that this was a dire situation, so he jumped into action. He sprung forward and stood right in front of Naruto as he was walking away.

"Wait Naruto! Fight Me! Right Here! Right Now! This is your chance to show me what you got! Let's see if you have what it takes to be my rival! Besides, I've been wondering how you beat that Haku guy all by yourself!" Sasuke shouted to Naruto's face.

_'No way will this loser back down. NO. FREAKING. WAY. Besides, I really do want to know how he beat Haku...'_ Sasuke thought as a smug smile came to his face.

Meanwhile, Sakura was surprised at Sasuke's sudden actions. Then, she began to smile as she realized his plan. She also knew how much Naruto wanted recognition from the Uchiha. She was also happy to see Sasuke care about Naruto as a teammate despite their differences. Every since the first fight with Zabuza at Wave, those two slowly built a good friendship with each other.

Unfortunately, Sasuke's efforts were in vain.

Naruto gently pushed Sasuke aside and kept walking forward while saying:

"I... need to be alone right now..."

The next thing anyone knew, he sprinted forward to his apartment leaving both of his teammates behind.

The situation was bad.

Very bad.

Both Sasuke and Sakura had their eyes bulging out of their heads and jaws dropped to the ground.

Kakashi was going to flip his shit when he heard about this...

* * *

He ran like a criminal. That's the only way to describe it.

Naruto bolted up the stairs to his floor of the apartment building, quickly whipped out his key, unlocked the door, threw his backpack aside, and shouted within his mind:

_'KYUUBI!'_

**"Sheesh! You don't have to yell, brat. I'm right next to you, no, scratch that, I'm in you! By the way, what's the deal with the whole personality change? It's unsettling as hell..."**

_'How can I trust you?'_ Naruto asked seriously without the slightest hesitation.

The Kyuubi was surprised at his host's first question. Nevertheless, it answered.

**"We are bound together by the seal. We share the same mind, body, and experiences. If you're hurt, I'm hurt. If you're hungry, I'm hungry. If you die, then I die. Also, we have access to each other's memories. I'll share some of mine with you if you don't believe me. Well, the necessary ones, anyway... The point is, I've been the one healing you with my power all this time. You don't have some sort miracle healing bloodline. I also protected you from that Haku boy. Need I go on?"**

Naruto took a minute to absorb the Kyuubi's words. Then he broke the silence.

_'And why do you trust me? You told me that humans treated you badly, so why trust me? I'm a human, aren't I?'_ Naruto questioned with a serious tone while slighty worried on the inside. After being called a demon and a monster for his entire life, this was the final moment of truth for him.

**"You're a human, boy. Flesh, bone, and all. If anything, you're just more receptive to my demonic chakra because you were exposed to it while still in the womb. As for why I trust you, that's because you have something that everyone else doesn't: The power to resist hatred... I don't know how you do it, brat. But I've never seen someone with a power like that. Not to mention, you're quite the entertaining knucklehead so I doubt you can lie or betray me."** the Kyuubi answered as it smirked at the "knucklehead" comment.

_'...The power to... resist hatred...'_ Naruto thought deeply and repeated.

**"It's a fine gift, brat. Be proud of it. You're probably the only human that can fight my influence over you because of it."** The Kyuubi said.

After about a minute of silence, Naruto spoke in his mind again.

_'You said that you've seen all of my memories?'_ Naruto asked.

**"Well, I had to kill time somehow..."** The Kyuubi answered honestly. **"Demons get bored, too. Especially in this damn cage."**

_'Fine! Then show me all of your memories, too! Fair is fair!'_ Naruto shouted.

**"W-What!? Absolutely not, brat! I will ally myself with you because I deem you tolerable, but I won't share ALL of my memories with you! Besides, your mind would probably break. After all, you're twelve, I'm ancient."**

_'...My mind would...break?'_ Naruto wondered in confusion.

The Kyuubi sighed loudly. Then it answered:

**"I am a being of pure chakra that has existed for centuries. My memories would flood your mind and break your psyche. Besides that, what you'll see can't be unseen, Naruto. Once you learn certain things by seeing my memories, you can never go back to not knowing those things."**

_'If you've seen my memories and read my mind, then you know my life hasn't been particularly easy either.'_

**"Of course I know that. You are my Jinchuriki, and I am your Bijuu."**

Naruto got confused for a second by this statement.

_'I'm your what? and you're my what?'_ he asked.

The Kyuubi sighed again and took the time to explain the existences of the Bijuu and Jinchuriki to Naruto. He discussed the Rikudo Sennin (Sage of The Six Paths), the Juubi (Ten-tails), and how the Jinchuriki are used as human weapons by their villages to tap into the power of their Bijuu. He also explained how the strength of a Bijuu is determined by their number of tails, and how the Bijuu hate the human race for capturing and using them as weapons.

After finally explaining it all, Naruto took a minute to think. He was starting to understand the Kyuubi's hatred for humans, and he was glad that the Kyuubi had a legitimate reason for doing all of the terrible things it did. This meant that it really was more than just some monster. It had a heart as well.

Finally, Naruto spoke:

_'You said you would show me the necessary memories... I want to see certain ones, then.'_

**"Hm, which ones do you want to see? I should warn you, though... some of them will shock you..."**

_'...I want to see the time you spent with the Rikudo Sennin... You said he was super strong and you seem to respect him a lot, so I want to see your time with him. I also want to see the entire attack on Konoha from twelve years ago. I have to see EVERYTHING from start to finish. It's my right, after all.'_

**"...I see. Well then... If it's you, I suppose I... could show you the time I spend with my honorable father. Alongside that, you deserve to know your origins and cause for your cursed fate as a Jinchuriki... Very well, then... Naruto, I need you to lay down on your bed, close your eyes, and relax."**

Naruto was surprised at the fox's command. Nevertheless, it complied.

_'I don't want to sleep, Kyuu-'_ Naruto said in his mind as he shut his eyes. However, he was shocked into silence by the sudden change in scenery around him.

In a brief moment, after just shutting his eyes to complete darkness, Naruto found himself in a massive yellow sewer room with little lighting and flooding water coming up to his ankles. As he looked forward, he saw a giant metal gate standing before him with a small piece of paper stuck in the middle of the gate. A large dark figure moved around behind the gate but it couldn't be seen because of the lack of lighting.

"What the heck is this place?" Naruto said as he tried to look deeper into the darkness behind the gate.

**"This sewer room is your mind. I don't need to tell you why it's a sewer room, do I?"** The Kyuubi's voice answered.

Naruto was shocked to suddenly hear the Kyuubi's voice. He could hear it echo from around the room. Finally, the fox's words began to sink into Naruto. Yes, he knew why it was a sewer room. As a child, Naruto would escape the mobs that would try to kill him by running through the back alleys and escaping to the sewers. It was dark and smelly, yet quiet and safe. It was the only place outside of his apartment that he felt comfortable in.

Naruto was eventually brought out of his thoughts by the Kyuubi again.

**"Take a good look at that sheet of paper on the big gate in front of you."**

Naruto immediately looked up at it. It said "seal" in kanji.

"So is this..."

**"Exactly."**

And with that word, the dark figure behind the gate came into view. Two large glowing red eyes, long rows of sharp gigantic teeth curved into a devious smile, and orange-brown fur all over. There it was, standing on its hind legs in all of its glory: The Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Naruto looked straight at the beast, lost the strength in his legs, and fell on his knees to the floor as he continued watching the monster fox.

The fox's enormous nine tails came into view as well.

Finally, the fox spoke.

**"Impressive, you haven't fainted yet. My presence has struck fear into even the strongest of men."**

"W-W-Why did you bring me here?" Naruto asked hesitantly as he mustered the strength to stand up from the wet floor he fell onto. Surprisingly, his clothes were perfectly dry despite the flooding water beneath him.

**"You want to see those memories, right? You need to be here to see them. Now come to my cage."** The Kyuubi spoke as it closed its five-fingered furry claw into a fist and stuck it out of its cage to Naruto.

Naruto just continued to stare at the fox for a minute.

**"Bump it."** The fox said as a smirk came onto its face.

"...Can I trust you?" Naruto asked seriously.

**"I told before, brat. I deem you tolerable despite being a human. Not to mention, you're my Jinchuriki. I won't hurt you."**

Naruto smiled at this and walked forward to the fox's cage, stuck his fist out, and fist-bumped the Kyuubi.

Immediately, the memories rushed in. Naruto was also surprised that he could hear the sounds in the memory like a movie.

A majestic valley in the mountains. Nine unique small creature including a minature Kyuubi surrounding a cloaked man with protruding spiky hair and strange eyes. He wielded a staff and spoke to the creatures as they smiled with joy. It looked like the cloaked man was telling them a story of some sort.

"So that's the..."

**"My honorable father, the Rikudo Sennin. You are the first human to see him after his death."**

"I-I'm honored."

**"As expected of the human I've decided to ally myself with, it seems you do know when to show respect."** The Kyuubi said while smiling.

Naruto returned to the small smile back to the Kyuubi.

The memories skipped forward to another gathering between the Rikudo Sennin and the nine Bijuus. But this time, the Bijuus looked sad as they listened to the cloaked man.

"What's happening now?" Naruto asked.

**"My honorable father is telling us about his upcoming death. He is a human, after all."** The Kyuubi explained.

"O-oh..." Naruto said as he lowered his head.

The memory eventually ended and Naruto returned to the sewer once more. His fist still connected to the Kyuubi's.

**"And that is how we share memories in here, kit."** The Kyuubi said while smiling at Naruto.

The boy had finally stopped being so serious and cautious around the beast and finally loosened up.

"WOW! That was AWESOME! We got to do that again, y'know!" Naruto exclaimed happily while jumping up and down.

**"...It seems you're finally back to your normal cheerful self, brat. You had me and your team worried on your way back from the Land of Waves."** the Kyuubi commented as it watched Naruto leap with joy.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just couldn't stand waiting to ask you all my questions, though. I guess it really got to me..." Naruto answered while scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

**"No doubt about it. If it made you reject ramen and a fight with the Uchiha, then these upcoming questions of yours must be serious."**

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, they are, Kyuubi. But instead of asking you now, I want you to show me the memory instead... I need to see the attack on the Hidden Leaf from twelve years ago..."

The Kyuubi couldn't help but wince at this.

**"Naruto... That memory isn't going to be easy to watch..."**

Naruto's cheerful voice shifted over to a serious and surprisingly mature tone.

"I'm ready for it... The past is the past, Kyuubi. Ever since the Wave mission, I've been learning to understand new people that have done horrible things throughout their lives for their own reasons. You're no different. I'll watch everything from start to finish, and use my power of resisting hatred to make sure it doesn't affect my opinion of you. I don't know if you know this about me, but I've got more than just the power to fight hatred."

**"Oh really, and what would that be?"** The Kyuubi asked while slightly intrigued.

"GUTS!" Naruto shouted as he pulled back his fist from the Kyuubi's and fist-bumped it again.

The targeted memory flashed into Naruto's brain. And he saw the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha.

To put it simply, he saw EVERYTHING. From start to finish. His parents, their identities, his birth, the masked man, the breaking of his mother's seal, the teleportation technique of his father a.k.a. The Yondaime, the destruction of Konoha, the death of many ninjas and civilians, the summoning of a giant red toad, his mother's chakra chains, the fatal wound that his parents sustained to protect him from the vengeful Kyuubi, their final words, and the Kyuubi being sealed into him as a baby.

As the memory ended, Naruto fell to his knees in the sewer and cried.

The spiky blonde-haired, cerulean blue-eyed, sun-kissed white-skinned, orange-clad boy cried his fucking heart out.

The Kyuubi did nothing. It said nothing. All it did was watch as its host cried out at what he had just witnessed. Due to living in Naruto's mind, the Kyuubi could feel all of Naruto's emotions.

Naruto was happy.

He had been loved. He was the son of the Yondaime and the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He was trusted with the fate of the ninja world by his parents. In summary, he was the son of heroes. Hell, becoming the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi automatically made him a hero, too.

But Naruto was also experiencing despair.

His parents had left him alone in the world. He was hated by the villagers for something he had no control over. He is forced to fight for the sake of the entire ninja world to defeat the unknown masked man that screwed up his life.

* * *

After a good three hours of crying and sorting his feelings out within the large sewer room, Naruto finally calmed down. He had tried to leave right after seeing the memory, but the Kyuubi continuously blocked out all of his attempts. It claimed that Naruto would do something drastic in the real world if it had let him go. It demanded Naruto to get himself under control first. With time, the crying had eventually stopped. And the only sound that could be heard in the sewer room was the faint dripping of pipe water...

The excruciatingly awkward silence went on for about twenty minutes. Then, the Kyuubi finally broke it.

**"I'm sorry." **It said clearly.

After a grueling thirty seconds of silence within the cage, Naruto responded.

"I'm... not mad at you, Kyuubi... I'm just disgusted... at the hatred that spreads around like a fucking disease!" Naruto shouted out with as he looked up at the Kyuubi with his bloodshot eyes.

"It just keeps spreading... and spreading... it hurt you, my parents, it's hurting me, it's hurting the other Jinchuriki and Bijuu out there, and it's probably ruining the entire ninja world!"

**"...In this world, love and hatred must co-exist with one another. To deny that fact is to deny this world, kit."**

"NO FUCKING WAY AM I GOING TO ACCEPT THAT!" Naruto roared out.

"My parents believed in me. They trusted me to save the ninja world and protect it. To do that, I can't limit myself to that train of thought!" Naruto continued.

**"So, what will you do?"** The Kyuubi asked as it narrowed its eyes at its host.

"The world... I...I'll change the world... I'll become the strongest... and... I'll protect everybody from hatred. Not just humans! Every living thing in the world!"

As Naruto's words echoed throughout the sewer room, a long moment of silence ensued. And then, laughter.

**"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH, THAT IS RICH! HAHAHAHAHAHA! SUCH AN IDEALISTIC KIT! A KNUCKLEHEAD INDEED! HEHEHEHEHE!"** The Kyuubi howled in a laughing fit while rolling on the floor.

Naruto continued to stare at it, the strong look in his eyes from his declaration never leaving his gaze.

The Kyuubi noticed this, and paused in mid-laughter.

**"Well, well, well, it looks like you're actually being serious about this, eh? And how do you plan to get stronger exactly?"** The Kyuubi asked.

Naruto didn't waste any time in preforming his next action. He bowed his head to the floor of the sewer room towards the Kyuubi's cage and cried out loud:

"TRAIN ME!"

The Kyuubi stayed silent at this request as it continued to watch its host.

"I want to be strong. So strong that I can protect everyone from ever feeling hatred ever again... Back at Zabuza and Haku's graves, I swore to myself that I would live my life as a shinobi without regret. I still don't really get what that actually means yet, but right now... I know I have to get stronger. Please Kyuubi! Make me stronger!" Naruto continued with his head still bowed to the floor.

This was an amazing sight. Naruto was the first human to ever gain the Kyuubi's attention, respect, and sincerest apologies. He was the first to ever see its memories. He was the first to ever witness, and express honor at witnessing the Kyuubi's honorable father. He was also the first human to properly bow its head to the Kyuubi in respect while making a request... especially after just having seen the Kyuubi brutally stab his parents with his claw in a traumatic memory...

Yes, Naruto was definitely a unique individual indeed. He was certainly worthy of becoming strong, both as the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki and as a kind human.

With great pride in its voice, the Kyuubi finally spoke out.

**"Very well, then... I shall help you on your quest, brat. I'll make you stronger than anyone on the entire face of this world. Your quest to fight hatred and protect the world is noble goal. And while I don't know the exact details of the prophecy your father spoke of before his death, I think I'll trust the Yondaime's words."**

Naruto looked up at the Kyuubi in disbelief after hearing it's words.

**"I told you before, Naruto... If it's you, then I don't mind being your ally. I've watched you since you were in your mother's womb, and I've seen all of your experiences up to this point. It may be the stupidest choice I ever make in my entire life, but it's the only choice I can make now... Besides, I know I won't regret allying myself with Konoha's number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja..."**

Naruto finally regained his composure and a small smile grew on his face.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's no way to talk to Konoha's future Hokage, THE GREAT UZUMAKI NARUTO! Kyuubi!" Naruto screamed his head off with pride at the Kyuubi while smiling a big foxy grin.

**"...Kurama."**

"Eh?"

**"The Kyuubi no Kitsune is my title, but it is not my name... My name is Kurama. We're partners now, Naruto. Remember my name."**

"Kurama, eh? So that's your name. I got it, and I'll never forget it." Naruto exclaimed while standing up and pointing his right thumb at his heart.

"From this moment on, we're not the Kyuubi and the Jinchuriki anymore. We're partners... and you're my comrade from the Hidden Leaf." Naruto continued.

The Kyuubi smirked at this official declaration of alliance.

**"Glad to hear it, Uzumaki Naruto."**

* * *

**A/N: Whew! This chapter took a serious toll on me. I really hope you guys enjoyed it. R&R. =D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know how much you've been looking forward to this, and I really hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Unlocking One's Potential Part 1**

* * *

It was a shock.

Seeing Naruto say no and walk away from both ramen and a fight was a shock. No, perhaps the term "shock" was an understatement...

Sasuke and Sakura were completely frozen as they watched their teammate sprint away from the large village gates. For a while, there was only an awkward silence between them.

But then, a small breeze flew by both members of Team 7 as the sun continued to set over Konoha. This caused Sakura to immediately snap out of it.

"Sasuke-kun! I can't believe I'm saying this! But we have to go aft-" Sakura shouted as she turned over to Sasuke.

"NO!" Sasuke interjected.

Sakura went silent as Sasuke continued.

"I don't know what's going on, but I've seen that face before... That look in his eyes... Something is bothering Naruto, but he doesn't want us involved... I can respect that, so you should too, Sakura. That loser will be fine, he just needs to be alone." Sasuke explained with a far away look in his eyes.

"But Kakashi-sensei sai-"

"I know what he said. But it's out of our hands now..."

"...S-Sasuke-kun, we're all part of a team. Team 7. A person shouldn't have to bear whatever burdens they have alone when they're part of a team..."

"...If Naruto wants our help, he'll come to us. In the meantime, we should let Kakashi know what's going on and just call it a day."

With that, Sasuke began walking off to the Hokage tower. Sakura hesitated at first, but she eventually nodded and followed him. After all, how could she refuse a walk through the village with Sasuke?! The thought was ludicrous to her.

* * *

Meanwhile, an intense conversation was being held in the Hokage's office. Numerous silencing seals had been put up to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. In the office, Hatake Kakashi and the Sandaime of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, were glaring at each other.

"Are you certain of this, Kakashi?!" Sarutobi asked with a serious tone and hardened eyes.

"Yes Hokage-sama, the supposed death of Uchiha Sasuke caused Uzumaki Naruto's Eight Trigram Seal to loosen during our supposed C-rank mission at The Land of Waves. As a result, Naruto unleashed a powerful wave of killer intent and malicious chakra which quickly subdued the enemy. After the conflict was finally resolved, I double-checked the seal on Naruto's belly..." Kakashi reported.

"And?" Sarutobi answered with a hint of worry in his voice.

"...It has been slightly loosened, but the seal still holds strong. I don't think we have a lot to worry about... For now, anyway..."

Sarutobi slowly relaxed his tense shoulders at that statement.

Then, he nodded and proceeded to pull out his pipe. With a small fire jutsu, he light it. Finally, he spoke.

"The Yondaime was a genius during his time, as I'm sure you're already aware. He was more than just a Hokage. He was also a top-class seal master, who gave up his life to seal away the Kyuubi into Naruto... However, one peculiar factor about the Eight Trigrams Seal on Naruto's belly has always bothered me..."

And what would that be, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"The Yondaime's seal doesn't completely cut off the Kyuubi's demonic chakra from Naruto's chakra network. Instead, the seal is designed so that a very minuscule portion of the fox's power leaks out and naturally mixes in with Naruto's chakra..."

"I don't understand, Hokage-sama. Why would Minato-sensei do something like that?!" Kakashi questioned with slight confusion.

"...Because he believed that Naruto could one day wield its power. I don't know all the details, but apparently... there will come a time when Naruto's mastery of the Kyuubi's power is desperately needed... I swear to you, Kakashi... that boy is bearing a heavy burden on his shoulders that none of us could possibly understand..."

Kakashi closed his eye and slowly turned his head to the floor. Then he spoke.

"Speaking of Naruto, there is something else you need to know..."

"Yes?" Sarutobi gave Kakashi his full attention once more as Kakashi lifted his head to re-establish eye contact.

"He... he hasn't been himself lately, Hokage-sama... It has caused a bit of a rift among the members of Team 7. I don't exactly know what's wrong with him, but he's become quiet and hasn't even smiled for the past two days. I've tried asking Sasuke and Sakura about it, but they really don't know what's going on either."

"Could it be something about using the fox's power?" Sarutobi asked.

Kakashi shook his head.

"I don't believe so, sir. Naruto left the village as his usual self. It was while we we're crossing the bridge that he suddenly slowed down while behind us. When we noticed he had fallen behind, we turned back to see him frozen in fear. The scared expression on his face was also very unsettling, sir."

Sarutobi clenched his fists tightly as his knuckles turned white. He was very close to Naruto, and he had considered the boy to be like a grandson to him. It hurt his consciousness to know that Naruto was frightened for some unknown reason.

"Have you tried speaking to Naruto about this, Kakashi?"

"Not yet, sir. I wanted to see how he would react if Sakura and Sasuke invited him out to eat at Ichiraku's. However... I can sense their chakra signatures coming up the stairs to this floor, so I'm assuming things didn't go as planned." Kakashi stated sadly.

Sarutobi quickly rose from his chair, walked over to the office door, removed the silencing seals he had set, and went back to the chair behind his desk.

Moment later, there was a knocking sound at the door.

"Enter." Sarutobi stated loud enough for whoever was behind the door.

The door opened, and in came Sasuke and Sakura. They didn't look too happy.

"Hokage-sama." They both acknowledged and bowed.

Sarutobi slightly raised his hand to stop them from bowing, then Kakashi spoke to the members of his team that had just walked in.

"Well?" He stated simply.

They both shook their heads.

"He said no to ramen. He said he was going home." Sakura said.

"He said no a challenge. He wants to be alone." Sasuke stated.

Both Kakashi and Sarutobi widened their eyes in complete surprise at the news they had just heard. If the situation hadn't been so dire, one would've taken a picture of their comical expressions.

Sarutobi quickly took action.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, you're both dismissed now if there is nothing else you need to discuss."

"Hai!" Both ninjas bowed immediately. Sakura and Sasuke walked out the door and went their separate ways. Sasuke headed off to the Uchiha compound while Sakura decided to head over to the Yamanaka flower shop to see her rival in love: Ino. However, both wondered what the Sandaime and Kakashi would do about Naruto's situation.

Back inside the office, Sarutobi had his eyes on Kakashi.

"Kakashi, right now it's very late. Tomorrow, go check on Naruto at his apartment. Fix this as soon as possible.

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgment.

"Also, the Chunin Exams are in two months, and I've caught wind of some excitement going around the village about Uchiha Sasuke participating. Train your team as you will to get them ready, and recommend them if you think they're up to the challenge. Dismissed."

"Hai!" Kakashi stated loudly as he bowed and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Sarutobi got up and walked over to one of the shelves in his office. He took hold of a crystal ball, and brought it back over to his desk. He wanted to see what Naruto was up to right now. As he focused his chakra into the glass orb and thought of Naruto, an image slowly formed within the crystal ball.

* * *

**"More power, kit! You must add more power!"** the Kyuubi shouted.

_'I'm trying! This is a lot harder than it looks, y'know!'_ Naruto exclaimed.

**"Then you'll just have to try that much harder, kit! Now keep going!"** the Kyuubi bellowed.

After finally calming down and befriending the Kyuubi, Naruto had left his mind and returned to his apartment. Normally, he would've gone out to get some ramen, came home, and called it a night. However, he felt guilty about rejecting the offer to eat from Sakura. What's even worse was that he blew an opportunity to fight Sasuke.

That really got on his nerves.

So now, the only solution was to blow off some steam with some of his good old fashion on-the-fly training. So he put on his headband and head out.

On his way to the Team 7 training grounds for his usual unsupervised training, the Kyuubi jogged his memory about the request he'd made.

Feeling excited to have his own personal teacher now, Naruto rushed over to the training grounds as fast as he could. When he had arrived, the Kyuubi told him that they would be working on Taijutsu.

Back at the academy, Naruto was always at least passable in Taijutsu. He would always receive a B in the class, and it was one of his reasons for never giving up. To know that he was at least passable in Taijutsu gave him hope in his dream to be Hokage.

Now, at the training grounds for Team 7, Naruto has taken off his headband and the orange/blue jacket of his tracksuit. He just sported the simple black t-shirt he had underneath and his orange trackpants with his usual sandals.

To start off the Kyuubi's training, Naruto has stretched, warmed up, and jogged around to help loosen himself up. Afterwards, the Kyuubi had instructed him to stand in front of a wooden training post in his usual offensive stance.

Naruto went for his default brawler/academy-mix style of taijutsu.

Immediately, the Kyuubi started laughting its ass off.

**"BWAHAHAHA!"**

_'W-What?!'_

**"BWAHAHAHA Oh, I'm sor-sorry, kit..."** The Kyuubi said while trying to catch its breath. It continued to pant for about a minute.

**"You... you just looked really stupid, that's all. Like a child imitating what plays in a movie!"** the Kyuubi said while starting to laugh loudly again.

Naruto immediately started blushing. He had actually been copying some of his moves from movies and manga...

_'SH-SHUT UP! YOU ASSHOLE! This fighting style has never failed me up till now!'_ Naruto answered with rage. _'N-Now do your job and help me!'_

The Kyuubi finally stopped laughing and got serious.

**"Alright, kit. Get back in your offensive stance again. We're going to transform it from a joke to a deadly weapon."**

Naruto smiled at this as the Kyuubi continued.

**"As you know, I'm no human. I've never used Taijutsu a day in my life. However, my honorable father had used it all the time when he was alive. Lucky for you, I would watch him train. So now, I'm going to show you my memories of me watching him train in his particular katas (forms). Unfortunately, I never bothered to ask what the style was called. But that's beside the point... Maintain your offensive stance, close your eyes, relax, enter your mind, and bump fists with me."**

_'So that's how you're going to teach me Taijutsu... I was wondering how you'd do it.'_ Naruto thought as he followed the Kyuubi's commands.

He shut his eyes and was once again before the Kyuubi's cage. He turned his hand to a fist and bumped it with the Kyuubi's.

The memory flashed into his mind. The cloaked man stood in a very relaxed stance. His feet were shoulder width apart, shoulders relaxed, knees slightly bent, elbows tucked close to his torso, and his arms...

His arms...

They were set in a very peculiar way. Naruto had never seen a ninja stand in Taijutsu stance like that before... Ever.

The Sage's left arm was cocked back while still keeping his elbow tucked close to his torso. Directly lined up with his left shoulder. He had the arm faced so that his palm faced upwards, and he kept his hand open.

Meanwhile, the Sage's right arm was brought forward with his right hand open, the palm facing upward. The elbow of his right arm was tucked in front of the man's right abdominal muscles.

Naruto watched the man closely as the memory continued.

He saw the Sage strike the air with his forward right arm first. The purpose of the strike was to sweep away any incoming physical blows to the side. This move left opponents wide open for the Sage to bring his left arm forward and form his hand into a fist. The Sage launched the left fist forward quickly. Naruto could've sworn he felt a strong breeze of air spinning along his face from the strike.

"Th-that's amazing. It almost looks like an art form..." Naruto said in the memory.

The memory ended. And so, Naruto opened his eyes to look back at the training post in the real world.

**"Alright, kit. I slowed down my father's movements as much as I could so that you could follow along. As you can see, his style had the best of both worlds: fluidity and power. You'll learn more moves as we go, but you need to get the offensive kata down first."**

Naruto began to shift his stance to match that of the Sage's taijutsu. He had to admit, it felt pretty natural to him for some reason.

**"Well, well, you're picking this up pretty fast, aren't you? And your form looks really nice, too. Alright, kit! Strike that post!"**

Naruto smiled as he slowly replicated the Sage's movements on the post. As the taijutsu style began to sink into Naruto's muscle memory, Naruto started to go faster and faster through the attacks.

**"Hm, Kit! Put more power into it! The wood on the post should be crumbling. Also, try flipping the stance so that your right arm is the striking arm. After all, you're right-handed."**

With that, Naruto kept practicing. However, this leads us to now...

_'Kurama! I've been at it for four hours straight! It's already past 12:00 midnight! I've got the style down, but the power behind my punches aren't as strong as the Sage's. My knuckles are bleeding all over. What the hell do I do?'_ Naruto thought to his tenant.

**"Something isn't right. The training post you're punching shouldn't be falling apart slowly like this... It should have shattered to bits by the third strike. What are we missing!? Tou-san?!"** The Kyuubi replied as it channeled chakra to Naruto's knuckles to stop the bleeding.

As Naruto's knuckles healed, he continued to think along with the Kyuubi.

Then, a thought came to his head.

_'Wait a second?! What if...'_

**"What?"** The Kyuubi asked.

_'In the memory, I felt the wind blow in my face like a fan when the Sage punched the air. Maybe there's more to it than just punching straight forward.'_

**"What do you mean?"**

_'Kurama... He got the air to launch forward from his arm... in a spiral shape, not a straight gust. I think your Tou-san was twisting his arm as he launched it forward. It's true that you normally twist your arm when you throw a punch, but maybe the secret is in the speed of the twist...'_

**"The speed of the twist, eh? That sounds like the old man, alright... Fine, let's see you do it. And because this damn post has gotten on our fucking nerves, pour some chakra into your fist... I want to turn this thing into wood chips!"**

Naruto chuckled at this and nodded as he got back in his stance again. He began molding his chakra into his left hand.

**"3, 2, 1, NOW!"** Naruto and the Kyuubi roared out loud in unison as Naruto spun his left arm while punching forward after sweeping his right arm to the side.

**CRACK!**

The training post had finally broken, and it was shattered to bits.

**"So that's the secret then... The fast twisting motion of the offensive striking arm as well as quick concentration of chakra into one's fists. The molding of the chakra increases the momentum of the punch and the striking power... That is a dangerous combination, old man..."**

_'WE DID IT! YES!'_ Naruto said in his head at he smiled happily at his handiwork.

**"In four hours, you've mastered the offensive kata and landed a proper strike. Not bad at all, kit. We'll have to work on your efficiency with molding chakra, though. And your body needs work."**

_'...M-My... body?'_ Naruto said while tilting his head.

**"Of course, brat! Your body! You need muscles and a strong improvement in your speed and footwork. We've got a lot to work on."**

_'Oh, well... Let's get some ramen to celebrate for today.'_ Naruto chimed in happily.

**"You should hold back on ramen, kit."**

Naruto instantly gasped dramatically at the Kyuubi's suggestion.

**"YOU NEED MORE NUTRITIOUS FOODS, KIT! EVEN WITH MY POWER TO AUGMENT YOUR GROWTH, YOUR MUSCLES WON'T BE AT TOP CONDITION WITH PROPER NUTRITION! FUCK!"** the Kyuubi roared in anger at its host.

_'B-But I...'_

**"You what? Oh, let me guess, can't live without your precious Ichiraku ramen, right?"**

Surprisingly, Naruto had shaken his head. Finally, he spoke.

_'I can't get any good food from the stores. The villagers refuse to let me buy anything... Either that, or they just give me the rotten stuff unless Jiji is with me...'_ Naruto sadly admitted.

**"I know that... Who said anything about buying food from those annoying pests?"**

Naruto, once again, tilted his head in confusion.

**"Kit, it's time you learned to hunt. Lucky for you, I'm a professional and you have a kunai..."**

_'O-oh, well, okay then. By the way, what are we doing after I master the Taijutsu style and get in shape?'_

**"... I get you started on the real test of your potential... Using my chakra properly as a Jinchuriki."**

Naruto went silent and widened his eyes at the Kyuubi's answer. He would soon be training to control that red power he had accidentally tapped into at Wave. The thought excited him, but it horrified him at the same time... The feelings in his heart while using that power were so... evil.

As Naruto continued to wonder what the Kyuubi had in store for him, he failed to notice the two people who had watched him during his training.

* * *

"So he's at the training grounds, eh? And here I thought he'd be too tired to train after just getting back from Wave... Naruto, you never cease to amaze me..." Sarutobi said out loud to himself as he watched Naruto through his crystal ball.

_'The fact that he is training must also mean that he is feeling better. That's good to see.'_ he thought to himself.

He saw Naruto fall into his signature brawler/academy-mix taijutsu style in front of a wooden training post. The Sandaime had seen Naruto use it before on various occasions.

To be honest, the Sandaime liked seeing Naruto add his own flavor to the rather dull and ineffective academy taijutsu style. Leave it to Naruto to make things interesting...

Sure, Naruto's version may have picked up a lot of its moves from manga and movies, but it was still pretty effective... to an extent. Throw in a few shadow clones, and it could really become something special.

_'It could probably take out a Chunin if Naruto just had a little guidance.'_ Sarutobi thought as he continued to watch the boy.

Surprisingly, Naruto hadn't started hitting the post yet despite maintaining his form. Instead, the boy had closed his eyes in front of the training post as he kept his stance.

_'What's he up to now?'_ Sarutobi thought as he watched the show curiously through his crystal ball.

But before he could see what happened next, the image on the crystal suddenly got blurry and eventually disappeared.

Sarutobi quickly started beating his hand on the glass orb in irritation, as if it were a TV giving no signal and white noise.

"God damn it! This always happens when I'm doing something important!" He said to himself as he continued to beat the crystal ball and pump more chakra into it.

Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain.

In the end, he put it back on his shelf and got back to his paperwork.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino.

A ninja academy graduate who had just become a Genin under Sarutobi Asuma, Jonin squad leader for Team 10. She had the decent grades, the necessary ninjutsu skills as heir to a ninja clan, and the great looks.

Unfortunately, she lacked the necessary composed attitude to be a ninja. In reality, she was a bit of the shallow and delusional hothead-type.

Throughout her childhood, she and her rival in love: Haruno Sakura, have always been at each other's throats.

Why?

Because they were both trying to win over the heart of Ninja Academy Top-Rookie of The Year and Super Hottie of The Entire Universe...

Uchiha Sasuke.

So when being assigned to teams as Genin, both Ino and Sakura pleaded to the heavens to be assigned with Sasuke.

In the end, Sakura got her wish and Ino suffered at the hands of defeat.

But defeat wasn't all that bad, though...

She was teamed up with her good friends: Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji. As a result, their team had formed the most recent generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan, and Akimichi Clan have always had their heirs join together as a Genin squad for generations within the Hidden Leaf.

Also, the third member assigned to Sakura's team would surely make Sakura's endeavors to win over Sasuke effectively impossible...

Uzumaki Naruto: The Ninja Academy's Dead-Last Graduate & Annoying Loudmouth Idiot.

And here's what made the deal even sweeter for Ino: Naruto has an obvious crush on Sakura... and professes his love for her... LOUDLY... IN PUBLIC...

EVERY. FUCKING. DAY.

When it usually came to Naruto, Ino would either avoid or ignore him to focus on her academics or winning over Sasuke. But unlike many of the other students at the academy... She didn't hate him. In fact, she never understood why so many people did.

Was it the pranks?

Because Ino thought they were funny. They were a refreshing change of pace from the intense atmosphere of competition to be the best ninja.

Ino could remember, at one point during her academy days, that she looked forward to the cheerful boy's pranks and crazy antics.

However, she knew there was more to Naruto than just that...

She had seen Naruto play alone on the academy tree swing numerous times as a child. She had also seen him get into brutal fights with the bullying upperclassmen, who would mess with the younger kids like her. Honestly, he looked pretty cool tackling bastards that were twice his size to the ground. Naruto may have been short, but you did not want to piss that kid off.

Overall, Ino considered Naruto to be a... not-so-close friend. After all, she had seen Shikamaru and Chouji ditch class with him a few times. If he was okay in their book, then he was fine in her's.

Which is why she got a little worried about him when she heard about how he was acting from Sakura. Ino didn't immediately decide to run after him or anything, but she was concerned.

That leads us up to now...

Ino had just finished some shopping and was on her way home. But as she passed the training grounds, she saw Naruto smacking his fist repeatedly into a training post like a man possessed by a demon.

She wanted to say something to him. To check on him.

Unfortunately, it was late and she had to get home.

So she took off.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, guys. That's Chapter 3. R&R**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4 starts now!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Unlocking One's Potential Part 2**

* * *

It was 1:00 in the morning, and any active off-duty ninja in their right mind would be trying to get as much sleep as possible. The last thing any Konoha ninja wanted was to go through rigorous training, dangerous missions, and dragged-out meetings with the Hokage without a wink of sleep.

But Naruto was never known for being in his right mind...

After mastering one of the Rikudo Sennin's taijutsu katas and strikes, the Kyuubi had instructed Naruto to go to one of the nearby streams at the edge of the training ground. As Naruto made his way over to the stream, he spoke to the Kyuubi.

_'A stream... Kurama, you're not making me give up ramen in exchange for f-'_

**"Yep."** The Kyuubi answered before Naruto even finished.

_'FISH! C'mon Kurama! You expect me to eat fish 24/7 from now on! That's not much of a variety of nutritious foods, y'know!'_

**"Settle down, brat! Fish is brain food, and God knows you need it. Also, I never said you had to eat it 24/7. We'll still be visiting Ichiraku's just as often as usual. You can still order ramen as well, but you'll be eating in moderation. Instead of the large quantities of ramen like what you're used to, you're going to be ordering..."**

_'W-What?'_ Naruto asked while fearing his fate.

With an evil voice and shrewd smile on its face, the Kyuubi answered with false exuberance.

**"THE GREENS! HEALTHY VEGETABLES, SALADS, AND ALL! STRAIGHT FROM ICHIRAKU'S HEALTHY CHOICE MENU! AND THE PRICES ARE GRRRRRREEEEEAAAATTTTT!"**

_'NOOOOOOOOO!'_ Naruto screamed in his head as he fell to his knees dramatically at the edge of flowing stream.

_'How do you even know what's on their menu?!'_

**"With the number of times I've seen it in your memories, It's no surprise I eventually memorized it... Unfortunately..."**

_'Hmph!'_ Naruto falsely pouted at his unfortunate situation.

**"Yes, but more on that later... Anyway, it's time to hunt for a midnight snack, so make a few clones and tell them to draw out some fish to the surface of the stream. Then, take aim with your kunais and strike the fish that pop up."**

_'Why not just make one clone, transform it into a net, throw it in, and be done with it?'_

**"If I have to say it, then I'll say it. You need the target practice, Naruto. In combat, shinobi rely on more than just chakra. Efficiency with weaponry is also important. Besides, a meal tastes better knowing that you busted your ass for it. NOW HUNT!"**

Naruto nodded, made five clones, and got to work.

As Naruto threw his kunais, he slowly started to improve his aim and throwing style. Small things like the speed and angle of one's wrist as they flick the projectile affected so many things. To make matters worse, Naruto was aiming at the fish at one o'clock in the morning, so it wasn't so easy in the dark...

But after a good hour of trying to hit the airborne fish with kunais, Naruto was slowly starting to hit his mark. By two o'clock, he had managed to catch five fish.

**"That'll do for tonight, and probably for tomorrow as well. Now put on your jacket and headband again so we can go home."**

Naruto dispelled four of his clones, made the remaining one transform into a bag, put in the fish, got his belongings and started walking off of the training grounds.

As he walked away from the stream, he suddenly froze while in mid-stride.

**"What's wrong?"** the Kyuubi asked. **"Let's head on home."**

_'... I don't know... But, I think... there is a scroll in the stream..."_ Naruto answered as he turned back towards the stream again.

**"Stop screwing around, brat. Let's go home already."**

_'I'm serious, Kurama!'_

**"Well then, how do you figure that? You didn't even swim in the stream!"**

_'Check through my memories, then. Maybe I'm going crazy, but I can see myself trying to catch a fish in the water. And while I'm doing that, I see a scroll submerged in the mud underwater.'_

The Kyuubi looked through its host's memories, and surprisingly... it found the memory that Naruto had described.

**"Well, well, well, it looks like we've learned another trick to that shadow clone jutsu of yours. Not only does it give you the power to summon an infinite army, you'll retain the memories of your clones after they're dispelled. I wonder if the same applies to their experiences... This trick could come in handy in the future."**

As the Kyuubi explained its analysis, Naruto made a shadow clone as he stood by the edge of the stream again.

_"Get that scroll for me, will you?"_ Naruto said to his clone.

The clone nodded and jumped into the stream. After a good minute, it had resurfaced with a muddy green/red scroll in its hand.

As the clone gave the wet and muddy scroll to Naruto and dispelled, the Kyuubi spoke.

**"It doesn't look like an elemental jutsu scroll to me, Naruto. I don't really know if it's all that valuable to us... But if the scroll is sealed tightly like that, then it's possible that the writing inside the scroll hasn't been smeared by the water. Looks like we keep getting luckier by the minute, brat!"**

_'Really?! That's fantastic. Let's head home, eat, and open this thing up!'_

**"DON'T FORGET TO SLEEP, NARUTO! YOU'RE ON DUTY WITH TEAM 7 TOMORROW, REMEMBER!?"**

_'Alright, alright, fine.'_ Naruto answered as he walked off of the training grounds and headed home with his bag of fish and muddy scroll.

**"By the way, your team is probably worried about the way you've been acting lately... You need to start acting like your loud oblivious self again. You can't let them know that you're communicating with me, training by yourself at night, or that you've figured out the identities of your parents."**

At the fox's words, Naruto actually tensed a bit as he was walked through the empty village square to his apartment.

Of course he would keep his contact with the Kyuubi and his late night training sessions a secret, but the identities of his parents had been a matter that Naruto forgot about completely...

He was so preoccupied with his training that he forgot that he knew the identities of his parents now...

_'Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.'_

Just saying their names in his head made his heart flutter for some reason. What was this sensation he was feeling in his heart that he had never felt before? Why was it suddenly making him feel... happy?

The Kyuubi smirked from within its cage as it read Naruto's thoughts and saw his confusion over his emotions. It was no surprise that Naruto didn't know what "Love" felt like. After all, he had only ever experienced something relatively close to it from the Sandaime or his academy teacher, Iruka.

As Naruto continued to ponder this, he made his way into his apartment.

Without wasting any time, he prepared two of the fish while putting the other three in the fridge. As they were being cooked, Naruto changed to his... house clothes.

The Kyuubi was against Naruto wearing his HIDEOUS pajamas for even a moment longer. He said that they were far too childish to be worn by the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, whatever that meant...

So he told Naruto to do away with them. After all, the orange/blue tracksuit he normally wore was already bad enough.

Anyway, Naruto had finally settled down and enjoyed his freshly cooked fish. Meanwhile, he wiped down the muddy scroll he had found with a paper towel.

_'Alright, you ready to open this baby up?'_ Naruto asked in his head.

**"Don't get too excited. I told you before, it doesn't look like an elemental jutsu scroll."**

Naruto began to peel the semi-dried scroll from itself and opened it.

**POOF!**

A sudden cloud of smoke suddenly engulfed the small apartment.

**"What the..."** Naruto and the Kyuubi said in unison as the smoke cleared.

The opened scroll had unsealed five green body weights. Two for the arms, two for the legs, and one for the waist.

**"A storage scroll for weights, eh? I take back what I said before. This scroll is something to get exciting about..."** the Kyuubi commented.

Naruto immediately took a hold of one of the weights. To his surprise, he could feel it getting heavier in his hand.

**"Naruto, let it go! These weights are adjusted with chakra! You're unintentionally putting in too much!"**

Naruto immediately let it go as it dropped to the wooden floor with a heavy thud.

_'So they really are just weights, huh? Alright, I'll start using them tomorrow. For now, I'm going to bed.'_ Naruto thought with a yawn as he put the weights back in the scroll, tossed the scroll aside, and went to bed.

**"Sounds good."** the fox answered.

* * *

**KNOCK! KNOCK!**

'Aw man, give me five more minutes...' Naruto thought to himself as he shifted in his bed.

**KNOCK! KNOCK!**

Naruto started groaning as he tiredly sat up in his bed. He glanced at his alarm clock. It showed the time as 9:15 am. He was supposed to meet up with Team 7 at the training grounds at 11:00 am for training or another lousy D-rank mission. Honestly, who would want to get out of bed to do a stupid D-rank after they had just done a C-Rank-turned-B-Rank mission? And who on earth would wake him up so early with the damn knocking?

As the knocking continued, Naruto noticed that it wasn't coming from the direction of his door. It was coming from the large window next to his bed with the large white curtain keeping the sun out.

**"This scent... He's probably here to see you about what happened yesterday..."** The Kyuubi stated.

Naruto sweeped his curtain aside to see none other than Kakashi-sensei waving happily through the glass.

It took a second for Naruto to recognize Kakashi, but he immediately shot out of bed when he did. He dashed for the bathroom, rinsed his face off, and ran back to the closed glass window.

As he opened it, he called out to his sensei.

"Morning Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said with a toothy grin as he remembered the fox's words about acting "normal".

"Morning Naruto, I know it's early but I wanted to come see how you were doing. Can I come in?"

Naruto stepped aside from his open window and bed as Kakashi jumped into the apartment.

"As messy as ever, I see..." Kakashi said as he looked around Naruto's apartment.

"W-well, y'know how it is when you're working hard to be next Hokage and all! Nothing but training, sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi slowly walked closer to Naruto as he made eye-contact. Finally, he spoke out.

"Right. Anyway, Sasuke and Sakura told me some interesting news yesterday. Apparently, you said no to FREE RAMEN and a chance to beat Sasuke. Now I know that can't be Uzumaki Naruto. You've also been rather... reserved lately. Is something bothering you, Naruto? I'm your sensei, and I always want to help." Kakashi said while giving a thumbs up and delivering his signature eye-smile.

_'SHIT! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY! KURAMA! HELP ME OUT HERE!'_ Naruto thought.

**"Relax, this'll be easy. Say that you were still grieving about Zabuza and Haku's deaths. Say that the thought of their deaths slowly sunk in while you were leaving Wave and that you felt like you couldn't be Hokage because you didn't save them."** the Kyuubi said with confidence.

_'ARE YOU KID-... actually... that's pretty good...'_

"Well... the truth is, Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto spoke out while pausing to get the full effect he wanted. He didn't want to lie to his sensei, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Hm?" Kakashi replied while watching his student closely. The truth is, Kakashi was very worried about Naruto and he was hell-bent on knowing what was bothering him.

"I just felt really sad and guilty about Haku and Zabuza dying... I know that they were our enemies for a while, but I thought maybe... maybe I could've done more to help them... or even save them. Then, I thought maybe I don't have what it takes to be Hokage because I'm not strong enough..." Naruto finally said while pulling off a half-true teary-eyed look.

Kakashi sighed in relief as he had finally heard the boy's reason for not being himself. He closed his eye while putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Finally he spoke.

"You can't blame yourself for something that was out of your control, Naruto. Zabuza and Haku were able to leave this world behind in peace because of you. So even if it was only a little, you did help them. You did save them. I'll bet that if they were here now, they'd feel bad that you were giving up on your dream to be Hokage." Kakashi said earnestly.

A very small part of Naruto actually had been feeling the way he had lied about to Kakashi, and Kakashi's words truly did clear away Naruto's doubts.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto answered genuinely with a small smile.

"Anytime, Naruto. Now get yourself ready and don't forget about meeting us later. Don't stay at Ichiraku's for too long, because I have something important to talk about." Kakashi replied.

"...This is coming from the sensei that shows up three hours late everyday..." Naruto said with a playful smile.

And that's how Kakashi knew that his student was right back to his old self again. There was no longer anything to worry about.

"Ma, ma, We'll see." Kakashi replied as he disappeared in a puff of smoke from the middle of the apartment.

**"Impressive, you should get an award for a performance like that."** The Kyuubi said jokingly.

_'Actually, I don't think... it was a total lie, Kurama...'_ Naruto thought back as he went off to shower, get dressed, and have some leftover fish before going to Ichiraku's.

* * *

_'Okay, let's go!'_ Naruto thought to himself as he began exiting the apartment.

**"Wait Naruto, before we leave, put on those weights we found yesterday. Don't worry about the adjusting, I'll handle it for you."** The Kyuubi said.

Naruto went over to the scroll he had tossed aside last night, unsealed the weights, and put them on beneath his tracksuit.

Moments later, he could feel the weights slowly getting heavier. Then, they stopped.

**"Alright, that should do. When it become easier to move around in that state, we'll increase the weight. Now let's go to Ichiraku's... FOR THE GREENS!"** the Kyuubi shouted happily as Naruto scrunched his face at the Kyuubi's words.

They headed out.

* * *

After surprising the living hell out of old man Teuchi and his daughter Ayame with his order (One pork ramen and three Ichiraku salads), Naruto walked off to the training grounds to meet with Team 7.

As he strolled forward through the village square, he heard a voice call out behind him.

"H-Hey Naruto!" It shouted happily.

Naruto turned around to see platinum blonde-hair, pale white skin, and cornflower blue-eyes looking right at him. Slightly surprised by the sudden closeness, Naruto took a small step back.

"H-Hey... Ino?" Naruto replied while tilting his head slightly in confusion.

Naruto had seen Ino quite a few times back at the academy. Every time he saw her, it was always "Sasuke this and Sasuke that." She would constantly bicker with Sakura over being the one to win the Uchiha boy's heart.

She had never said a single word to Naruto directly, so he had assumed that she was another one of the kids who blindly hated him because her parents probably did. She also could've hated him because he didn't respect her precious Sasuke-kun as much as everyone else did. Whatever the case was, he knew that she probably didn't like him... Still, he never hated Ino... After all, Shikamaru and Chouji liked her. And those two allowed Naruto to hang out with them when everyone else rejected him...

Unfortunately, Naruto never spent much time with those two either...

Damn upperclassmen and their stupid threats to hurt anyone he associated with...

Ino was also Sakura's close "friend" in a sense, so Naruto always tried to keep the relationship between them neutral by staying out of her way.

Overall, it was awkward talking with Ino alone like this. Was he right about her hating him? And what did she want from him?

He could only struggle as he thought about what to say to her.

Suddenly, Ino's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"So, how are you?" She asked with a pleasant smile.

* * *

In all honesty, Ino was a bit nervous. She had never spoken directly with Naruto before. She had never stood so close to him either. But even so, she really wanted to get to know Naruto. After all, he was the only boy in her class that she had never spoken to. All the other girls at the academy were shy about talking to boys. But unlike them, Ino found it to be very easy. Hell, she had even spoken a word to unapproachable guys like Sasuke or Shino... by just saying "Hi".

Hey... It still counts... Even if they didn't respond to her...

But with Naruto, even THAT was impossible.

He was always too busy wreaking havoc in the academy because of the countless fights with the upperclassmen, the insane pranks, the loud confessions of love for his beloved "Sakura-chan", the endless shouting about being Hokage, the numerous attempts to ditch class, the non-stop scoldings from Iruka-sensei, and the on-going one-sided rivalry between him and Sasuke-kun...

Sasuke-kun...

Whenever she saw Naruto bothering Sasuke or trying to rile him up, she wanted to tear him to pieces for distracting Sasuke from her gorgeous self.

But that didn't change the fact that she wanted to get to know him. She wanted to know more than just the four simple things that everyone else in Konoha knew: He liked Sakura, he hated Sasuke, he loved ramen, and he wanted to be Hokage.

She was Yamanaka Ino, after all. Konoha's Nosy Princess of Secrets & Gossip.

She had considered talking to him when he sat alone on the academy tree swing sometimes, but Ino would ultimately walk away because she didn't think it was a good time to try. He just looked too depressed for some reason...

But since they weren't in the academy anymore, this was her chance. Here he was, walking straight out of Ichiraku's ramen shop. She even had a conversation topic that she could bring up with him. Naruto had done a dangerous mission at Wave, come back quiet and depressed for some unknown reason, and begun training rigorously late at night.

_'Thank you, Forehead.'_ She thought as she recalled Sakura talking to her about her mission at Wave. The girl had kept bragging on about the time she had spent with Sasuke for a good hour, which got rise out of Ino. However, she had also briefly mentioned Naruto as well.

While she recalled her memories, Naruto broke her out of her thoughts.

"I'm good... How are you?" Naruto answered simply while returning a small pleasant smile of his own.

* * *

**"NARUTO, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! WHAT DOES THE BLONDIE WANT?! 'How are you' MY ASS! THIS CONVERSATION IS TOO STRANGE!"** the Kyuubi said as he observed the conversation.

_'...Kurama, I'm just as lost as you are... Just relax, I'm sure Ino is just being nice before she tells me what she wants... Still, it's not easy talking with someone you barely know... I have no idea what to say right now...'_ Naruto answered with slight panic.

Ino's voice brought him out of his conversation.

"...I'm good..." Ino replied.

And with that, there was LONG silence between them... Very long...

_'WHAT DO I SAY NOW? SHE HASN'T TOLD ME WHAT SHE WANTS YET!'_ Naruto thought as they both stood still in the middle of the village square, looking at each other's eyes.

* * *

_'Wh-What the hell, me?! Why am I suddenly freezing up like this?! I NEVER FREEZE UP! NEVER! C'mon, say something! Ask him about his mission like you planned! C'mon! You're the one that called out to him first, so you need to say SOMETHING!'_ Ino screamed to herself in her head as she stood petrified.

The truth was, she wanted to back out of this right now. This was just too weird. She mentally cursed herself for even getting Naruto's attention in the first place. Now, Ino's reputation for being the spunky smooth talker was being tarnished. However, her stubbornness and pride had refused to let her body move.

All she could do now was stare into Naruto's face. His deep cerulean blue eyes, six whisker-marks on his cheeks, and his uncombed blonde hair. The good thing about looking straight at Naruto's face like this was that she could tell exactly what he was thinking. Luckily, he was just as confused as she was. In fact, he may have even had a little bit of fear in his eyes for a second, too.

It was really reassuring to know that Ino wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Unfortunately... The awkwardness of being friends with each other's friends, but having no personal connection to each other was blatantly obvious now...

* * *

Naruto had his pride, and he could also be stubborn as hell when he wanted to be. He would never look away from someone due to a lack of confidence, no matter what the situation was...

THIS one was no exception.

At least, that's how he would've acted. If he was still the same old Naruto...

But he wasn't, he was growing up now... And he wanted to change himself into someone better. Someone who could notice the smallest things easily and act in a mature way.

So as he stared into Ino's face, he saw her confusion at the situation as well. There was some fear in her eyes, but he saw something else too... Was it hate? No... It looked like... pride and determination... to not back down. He knew that look better than anyone, after all.

Naruto was already putting the pieces together in his head. Her question about how he was feeling, the strong determination in her eyes, and everything else. It seemed like Ino wanted to be friends with him. Naruto was a bit worried that he might have been reading the situation wrong, but it really did look that way...

And Naruto never said no to a chance at making a new friend. He would gladly toss aside his pride and stubbornness for that.

He couldn't imagine why one of Sasuke's top fan-girls would want to be friends with him, though...

Nevertheless, he broke the silence first.

"Ino, I've got to go now. So I'll see you around, okay?" Naruto said with a small smile as he turned around and quickly walked off.

Some villagers had heard him mumble something about heavy ass weights as he walked away.

* * *

To say the least, Ino was shocked.

Two big things stood out to her as Naruto walked away.

The first thing was that the normally easy-to-approach loudmouth goofball: Uzumaki Naruto... went completely frozen in silence in front of her... and he had the same effect on her...

Why?!

What the hell did they have to be so nervous about?!

She just wanted to be on the same level with him as Shikamaru and Chouji were! Besides, she noticed that she had a lot of things in common with Naruto: They were both blonde, blue-eyed, extroverted, confident, stubborn, and boisterous. How hard could it be to get along?

Secondly, Naruto had technically "given up" first and run away from their conversation.

Yes, folks. The Great Uzumaki Naruto, who is renowned for never backing down in whatever he does, actually GAVE UP against Ino...

But she was really thankful for it, too...

If the awkward stare-down of silence had lasted any longer, Ino would've probably lost her pride as a smooth talker and broken down in tears.

It was a strange feeling, but Ino couldn't help but smile as she looked at Naruto's back. She knew that he was much more stubborn than she was, but he had thrown away his pride first to stop her from feeling any more uncomfortable.

_'Looks like there's a lot more to Naruto than what meets the eye...'_ Ino thought to herself as she turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

The people around her heard her mumble something about a dumbass, while she walked with a smile on her face.

* * *

Naruto had arrived at the training ground to find Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke waiting for him. He was surprised for two reasons: First, he was surprised to find Kakashi there before him. Secondly, Sakura and Sasuke were staring at him with intense looks of worry on their faces.

Trying to maintain his "normal" character, he started off the conversation:

"KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU'RE ACTUALLY ON TIME TODAY! NO, SCRATCH THAT! YOU'RE EARLY!" Naruto screamed his head off in surprise.

Immediately, the looks on Sakura and Sasuke's faces changed to surprise.

After taking a moment to regain their composure, Sakura was in her usual Must-Punch-Naruto-For-Being-Naruto mode while Sasuke was back to his usual scowl.

"You're too loud, Naruto!" Sakura blurted out as she punched him upside the head.

But on the inside, she was glad to have Naruto back to his old annoying self again.

As Naruto rubbed his head, he spoke.

"Ow, ow, ow, that wasn't necessary, Sakura." Naruto replied.

Everyone caught the sudden lack of the -chan at the end.

Sakura was completely baffled, but didn't comment on it at all.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked over to Sasuke. Instantly, Sasuke noticed his eyes on him.

"Dobe." Sasuke said while looking back at him slightly confused.

The Dobe-Teme banter was their usual ritual of communicating with one another. To deny the ritual, after just dropping the -chan from Sakura's name earlier, would clearly show that things weren't back to "normal".

"Still up for that fight, Teme?" Naruto asked with a playful smile.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted while turning his head to the side.

Finally, Kakashi started talking.

"Alright, Team 7. Listen up. This is important."

All three members quickly focused their attention on Kakashi.

"From this point on as Team 7, we'll be doing nothing but High D-ranked missions to High C-ranked missions everyday. These missions normally range from stealth and infiltration to taking out bandits and low level missing-nins."

As the news slowly sunk in to all three members, Kakashi continued.

"My purpose for doing this is to hone your skills as shinobi in practical situations. After the mission at Wave, I told you guys that all three of you had grown and that I was proud of you. Now, at this point, I believe that doing more missions at higher difficulties will continue to stimulate your growth as shinobi."

All three members nodded.

"...Well, that was easy. I was expecting you guys to disagree with me." Kakashi said in surprise.

"Nah, I just didn't want to do any more boring low level D-rank missions." Naruto answered.

"Missions are a good form of training." Sasuke spoke out.

Sakura, hearing Sasuke's opinion, quickly went into her fan-girl mode.

"Yeah, definitely!" Sakura concurred.

"Good, well then... On to today's mission..." Kakashi said.

* * *

After completing the mission of tracking down some bandits through the forest, Kakashi went off to make his report to the Hokage. Meanwhile, Team 7 would perform its usual routine of splitting up to go their separate ways:

Sasuke would be the first to leave, with Sakura on his tail desperately trying to get him to take her out on a date. Finally, Naruto would go after Sakura trying to get her to accept a date from him. At this point, Sakura would lose her focus on Sasuke and beat up Naruto. Naruto would give up for the day and go home, while Sakura would also go home because she lost sight of Sasuke.

... Except Naruto didn't do his part.

Instead, the team split up with Sasuke and Sakura heading in one direction while Naruto went off in a different one. To the training grounds.

It was about 6:00 pm, but Naruto wasn't hungry or tired from his mission. He had eaten his rations, and he was always naturally energetic thanks to his tenant. Even with the new weights he was wearing...

As he arrived at the training grounds, he spoke in his mind.

_'Kurama, you're awake, aren't you?'_

**"Hmph, you thought I would sleep and miss your exciting performance, brat? Nonsense. Today, I had fun watching you try to blend in. But I also have my fair share of questions to ask you..."** the Kyuubi said.

Naruto was surprised at this.

_'Shoot.'_ he said.

**"We both know you never had any real feelings for Pinkie, but why did you decide to drop the '-chan' bit from her name now?"**

Naruto smirked at this. He knew his team had been very surprised at how he addressed Sakura. Knowing that the Kyuubi was also a bit shocked was pretty funny.

_'Well... Yesterday... When I was walking home from here after my training, I thought of my parents... I thought about how much they loved each other and how much they loved me. I decided that I wanted to find the same feeling that they had found for each other. My one-sided "crush" on Sakura doesn't have that same feeling, so I just let it go. I only want to use the "-chan" bit with someone I really do care about...'_ Naruto said while scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

**"...You're growing up, Naruto... I'm impressed... Fine, next question."**

_'Yeah?'_

**"...Why did you run from Blondie?"**

Naruto knew this would come up, but he didn't like the way the fox phrased it.

_'Hey! I didn't run! I just had somewhere to be!'_

**"HEHE! Excuses, excuses..."** the Kyuubi answered with a chuckle.

Naruto went silent for a minute then spoke.

_'...I don't know... I guess I... can't really talk to her... for some reason. And she looked like she wanted to leave, but didn't want to say anything.'_ Naruto replied honestly.

There was a long pause. Then the Kyuubi answered.

**"...I take it back, you're still an idiot."**

_'WHAT?! HOW?!'_

**"You fear some girl for an unknown reason and you run away from her - Classic idiot move."**

_'OKAY, THAT'S IT! I DIDN'T RUN AWAY! I JUST HAD SOMEWHERE I NEEDED TO BE!'_

**"Excuses, excuses..."** the Kyuubi repeated.

_'GRR! ENOUGH! LET'S START THE TRAINING ALREADY! WE'RE WASTING TIME!'_

**"Sheesh! Alright, alright. Relax, brat. I was just messing with you. A little bit of friendly teasing is all."** the Kyuubi said sincerely.

And so, they began the late-night training session.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 4, guys. R&R. Next chapter, there will be a timeskip. For those of you worried, I promise to not make Naruto too OP. :)**


End file.
